RFID for the medical technology industry

PCB expert alpha-board presents its concept for the identification of electronic devices and PCBs at COMPAMED 2008.

Berlin, 2. October 2008 -The Berlin-based service provider for electronic design and manufacturing presents its new concept for RFID for the medical technology industry. At COMPAMED 2008 alpha-board is looking for talks with manufacturers of assembled PCBs and users, especially those who deal with RFID medical technology and who use RFID on PCBs for electronic medical devices RFID identification is a space saving solution, offers improved readability, e.g. for soiled or hard to reach positions and additional storage space for assembled PCB-related information. As every project at alpha-board is customer-tailored, trade shows of this kind are of strategic importance in terms of discussing application area and spectrum and company-tailored implementation.

Profiting from RFID Labels
PCBs are usually labelled in order to identify the product series during further manufacturing steps. An adhesive label is attached to the PCB which can also store assembled PCB-specific data. Non-destructive removal of these labels is not possible. A scanner identifies the PCBs - also from greater distances. The space-saving labels are extremely small, which makes them ideal for attaching to very small PCBs or flex boards. If a label cannot be attached to a PCB because of its size or due to the high packing density, alpha-board pursues a different strategy: A small TAG is mounted on the PCB just like a board component.

RFID on the PCB (76 kB)	RFID Barcode (26 kB)	RFID TAG (66 kB)
RFID 2D-Matrix (38 kB)	RFID Label (316 kB)	Olaf Schulz, Head of Hardware Development at alpha-board (198 kB)

In comparison to barcodes or 2D codes, RFID labels are more expensive, but they offer considerably more benefits. Existing barcode technology can be replaced at low cost. For example, if certain components malfunction and all the coordinates of certain parts have to be traced, the RFID comes into its own. It is possible to read all the PCB data relatively quickly via the reader.

"The industry requires such security standards", explains Olaf Schulz, Head of Hardware Development at alpha-board. "In terms of RIFD we have the right answer for the requirements of medical technology". He expects a growing demand for RFID-labelled PCBs in the future.

alpha-board gmbh presents its concept from 19 to 21 November 2008 at COMPAMED in Dusseldorf in Hall 8a, Stand F29.


About alpha-board gmbh

alpha-board gmbh is a Berlin-based service company for electronic design and manufacturing services. Set up in 1990, the company now employs 20 people. alpha-board directs its services towards customers from the automotive industry and from the IT and communications technology, medical equipment and aerospace sectors. The service portfolio includes hardware development, PCB design, simulation of signal integrity, EMC and thermal behaviour, for example, 3D design support, supply of PCBs in all technologies, populating and terminal device assembly, system and integration technology, testing and quality assurance, and PLC management.

Latest news: research project for measurement of vital functions for early pregnancy diagnosis in livestock, in cooperation with the Humboldt University of Berlin, SMEs from the region, and other research institutes.

More information is available on the Internet at www.alpha-board.de.



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